Dr. Andy V. Babwah, PhD
Children’s Health Research Institute
Scientist, Fetal and Newborn Health Program
Lawson Health Research Institute
Scientist, Children’s Health Research Institute
University of Western Ontario
Assistant Professor, Departments of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Physiology
and Pharmacology
Contact Information
Tel: (519) 685 8500 Ext. 55485 (Off)
Fax: (519) 685-8616
E-mail: ababwah@uwo.ca
Brief Biography
Dr. Andy V. Babwah, the recipient of a US Fulbright Fellowship, received
his Master of Science degree in Biology in 1993. During this period of
training Dr. Babwah studied the molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis in
the highly virulent Staphylococcus aureus. He then pursued his doctorate
in Biology at McGill University, where he developed novel genetic tools
for genome analysis.
Upon completion of his PhD, he received The Canadian Hypertension/Canadian
Institutes of Health Research Postdoctoral Fellowship to pursue postdoctoral
training under the direction of Dr. Stephen S. G. Ferguson in the laboratory
of Molecular Imaging and Cell Biology at the Robarts Research Institute,
London, Ontario. During this period, Dr. Babwah’s research focused
on better understanding the mechanisms that regulate the activity of the
metabotropic glutamate receptors in the brain.
Dr. Babwah was appointed as an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Obstetrics & Gynaecology and Physiology & Pharmacology and a Scientist at the CHRI in 2005.
Research Interests
• Biology of the gonadotropin releasing hormones and their receptors
• Human placentation
• Preimplantation embryo development
• Development of astrocytomas
Research Activities
Dr. Babwah’s research focuses on understanding the roles of the gonadotropin releasing hormone receptor (GnRH-R) in the preimplantation period of mammalian development and placentation, and to determine the effects of dysregulated receptor activity on these important processes. GnRH is a key regulator of the reproductive hormone cascade. Humans express two forms of this decapeptide hormone, GnRH-I and GnRH-II and their effects are mediated by GnRH-RI, a heptahelical G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR). To date, only one functional form of this receptor has been identified in man and, like its cognate ligands, it is expressed in multiple cell-types throughout the body; these include the anterior pituitary gonadotropes and placental cytotrophoblasts. Dr. Babwah uses various molecular and cellular techniques to study gene expression and protein-protein interactions in the cell. He also uses the laser scanning confocal microscope to visualize the spatial and temporal characteristics of fluorescently-tagged proteins in the living cell. Dr. Babwah’s research has been published in journals such as The Journal of Biological Chemistry and The Journal of Neuroscience.
Awards and Recognition
New Investigator Award - Awarded by Canadian Institute of Health Research in partnership with the Ontario Women’s Health Council and CIHR’s Institute of Gender and Health
Funding in support of "GnRH-regulated TFPI-2 expression in the human placenta" - Awarded by Lawson Health Research Institute
Funding in support of " GnRH-regulated TFPI-2 expression in the human placenta" - Awarded by Obstetrics and Gynaecology-Academic Enrichment Fund
Funding in support of " GnRH-RI activity during human placentation" - Awarded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Funding in support of "Molecular and Functional Analysis of Nuclear Membrane Localized GnRH-RI" - Awarded by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council
Funding in support of "Systematic evaluation of assisted reproduction" - Awarded by Canada Foundation for Innovation Infrastructure
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